Easy Coffee and Cardamom Truffles ~ this easy homemade candy is a decadent combination of dark chocolate, cardamom, and coffee, reminiscent of the flavors of Turkish coffee!
I’m catering dessert for a friend’s book club meeting next week. I don’t know what they’re reading, but apparently they’re quite a group of chocoholics, so one of the things I’m making for them are these tiny dark chocolate truffles infused with the flavors of Turkish coffee. I don’t see any reason to file away truffles just because the holiday season is over. I think these cardamom and coffee truffles are the perfect mid January after dinner reward for all the dieting and organizing everyone’s been doing.
cardamom truffles are decadently easy!
Even though I’ve been making truffles for years, I still can’t quite believe that something so delicious is so utterly simple to make. It seems counter to the rules of food physics or something. Chocolate ganache, a combination of chocolate and cream, is delicious all by itself, but when you start to infuse flavors into it, things really get exciting!
why we love these little coffee and cardamom truffles
I love that I can make them a few days ahead, and I also like that they are bite sized, so people who just want a taste of something sweet can do that without having a whole plate of dessert. The unusual flavor combination in these truffles makes them really special.
how to infuse the flavors of coffee and cardamom into your truffles
I mixed a tablespoon of instant espresso powder with the heavy cream and dropped in a few roasted and crushed cardamom pods. I let them steep for about 10 minutes before I strained the hot cream over the dark chocolate. Just those fee minutes of steeping infuses the truffles with a subtle background hint of cardamom…so exotic!
TIP: You can use convenient semi sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips for these cardamom and coffee truffles, too.
love truffles?
- Peanut Butter Truffles
- Jewel Box Truffles
- Hot Chili Pepper Truffles
- Fresh Lemon Truffles
- Grand Marnier Truffles
Coffee and Cardamom Truffles
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 Tbsp instant espresso powder
- 5 cardamom pods, cracked open, don't lose the little seeds!
- 8 oz good quality dark chocolate, cut in small pieces
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder for dusting
Instructions
- Pour the cream into a small saucepan, along with the coffee powder and cardamom pods. Heat over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the coffee powder. When the cream almost reaches the simmer, turn off the heat and let it steep for 10 minutes.
- Put the chocolate in a small bowl.
- Bring the cream back up to a simmer, then pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let it sit for 10 minutes. Note: pour the cream through a seive to catch the cardamom pods and seeds.
- Stir the chocolate cream mixture to completely melt the chocolate. Keep stirring until you have a smooth glossy mixture. If there are still any lumps of chocolate, you can microwave the mix for about 10 seconds.
- Pour the ganache into a shallow pan, like a pie plate. No need to spread it out.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the ganache is firm enough to scoop, this will take about an hour to an hour and a half.
- Remove from the refrigerator and, using a small 1″ scoop, melon baller, or a teaspoon, scoop small portions of the ganache and roll between your palms to form a smooth round ball. Set the balls on a plate while you finish the rest. Don’t worry if you can’t get the truffles perfectly round—the candy is named after the rare underground mushrooms that are famously misshapen!
- Roll the truffles in the cocoa powder to completely and evenly coat them. Store in the refrigerator, or at room temperature.
You mention using cardamom pods to steep in the cream…I assume we are meant to take those out before reheating and adding to chocolate????
Yes!
2 questions: 1. If I do add some liquor, how much would you recommend? and 2. How long do you think these can sit in the refrigerator? Serving on Thanksgiving and hope to make a few days ahead to reduce stress. Thanks!!!
They’ll last several days in the fridge, for sure, and if you want to spike them I’d add about 2 Tbsp, you can follow the method in my Grand Marnier Truffles. In that recipe I added a bit more chocolate to compensate for the extra liquid.
Hi,
Could I possible use ground cardamom if I don’t have the pods?
Yes, for sure, I’d try 1/2 teaspoon, or even slightly less. You can taste it and add more if you like.
I can’t wait to make these this Christmas for gifts! What brand of instant espresso powder do you recommend?
Honestly I would go with whatever you can get. I find that each store only really carries one brand, and they tend to be Italian.
A lot of truffle recipes I see call for a small amount of alcohol. Do you think these would taste good with a splash of brandy or whiskey (or some other liqueur)?
Yes, I adore truffles with a little bit of alcohol, see my Grand Marnier Truffles for an example: https://theviewfromgreatisland.com/grand-marnier-truffles/
For these coffee and cardamom truffles you might try Kahlua, but I’m sure there are lots of choices that would work.